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Summer is here and it always puts me in the mood to read contemporary. There’s just something wonderful about a summer-focused novel, be it a beach read, a summer road trip, or just an adventure in dealing with feelings that feel so brand new, contemporary is just what I want to devour throughout July and August. I thought I’d share five contemporary novels I want to get to this summer.

I am very fortunate at the moment to have an ARC for this novel. I loved Little & Lion, and I own Pointe, which I rescued from being put in the trash at my work (old weeded copy) that I still haven’t read yet. Regardless, I was beyond impressed by Little & Lion that now Colbert is an author I watch. I love her stories that focus on family, diversity, and how change affects young people. There’s a sharpness to her words that I instantly connect with and Finding Yvonne sounds like it may break me.

The Way You Make Me Feel
by Maurene Goo (Published: May 8th 2018 by Farrar Straus Giroux Books)

I loved the comedy of errors that was I Believe in a Thing Called Love. It was cute, quirky, and just so so funny. I’ve heard great things about The Way You Make Feel, and I feel like it’s going to be a book that is going to leave me so hungry given it has to do with a summer romance and food trucks. I am not the biggest romance reader, but I like how Maurene Goo writes them, so I am in it to see what all the fun is about.

Save the Date by Morgan Matson (Published: June 5th 2018 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Whenever I think of summer reads, two authors usually spring to mind: Sarah Dessen and Morgan Matson. Since I have read all the Sarah Dessen, it would seem I now need to catch up on the latter, I have only read Amy & Rodger’s Epic Detour and The Unexpected Everything, both which I thoroughly enjoyed. I ended up picking up Save the Date from my local book store on a whim, and I feel like it’s going to be a fun read.

What are some contemporary books you want to check out this summer? I’d love to know in the comments.

I have had a new obsession lately: it’s reading books about prominent women and their accomplishments. There are so many great microhistory reads out there regarding women and how they have changed the world for the better, how they fought for their rights or created something to better the world. I find this books so thoughtful, educational, and I think they are great introductions to women that you may not have heard of. Here’s five that I recently enjoyed, and I encourage you to check out.

She Persistedby Chelsea Clinton & Alexandra Boiger

This is such a beautifully written picture book that looks at the accomplishments and can-do attitude of thirteen American women and how they were told they couldn’t do something, and they persisted. The women portrayed in this book are ones who spoke out about injustice, prejudice, who believed in kindness and strength. The illustrations in this book are so beautiful, and there’s also sequel that just released looking at women worldwide. This book features such amazing women as Harriet Tubman, Nellie Bly, and Sally Ride!

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the Worldby Pénélope Bagieu

This fantastic graphic novel provides a wonderful short story for each of the thirty-ish women portrayed in the book. Bagieu’s art is absolutely delightful and expressive, and she chooses a lot of women who have either been neglected for their accomplishments, or ladies who just didn’t give a flying hoot about being recognized because for them it was about empowering others. These short biographical comics showcase the power and strength that women posses, and that’s pretty bad ass.

I discovered Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls from a friend of mine who had backed the Kickstarter for this series. I love the way this book is laid out, with over a hundred women, each with their own unique story. Each story is also written like a bedtime story, so if you’re a parent reading this book to a child, you could read a story a night with ease. There’s a heroine for every kind of reader in this book, and if you can’t find one to connect with, there’s even a sequel!

Bygone Badass Broads was a Twitter project started by author, Mackenzi Lee, who commented that there were far more amazing and forgotten women who in the world who made major contributions to society. One of my favourite ladies to learn about was Stagecoach Mary. She was such a badass and she was a favourite of the US Postal Service. Who knew, right? This book of fifty-two ladies offers women of all races, gender identities, and socio-economical backgrounds. It’s very informative and sports some gorgeous illustrations by Petra Eriksson!

If you want to learn more about female contributions and empowerment, I highly recommend reading all of the above. There’s so much diversity in each text, and it’s been so wonderful to learn about what women have accomplished over the years. Let’s continue to celebrate women more and what I hope is more books like the ones above, get into the hands of those who need them. Support women, believe women, we need more of these stories.

January was a very productive reading month. I read a combination of my own books and library books, and managed to complete quite a bit. One thing I have been doing is seeing if my library has an audiobook version of books I physically own and I have been finding it super helpful to tackle things I want to read, but haven’t necessarily tackled yet. Audiobooks have been a bit of a godsend right now as I work through cleaning and purging my house. I will share a Shelf of Shame photo update perhaps at the end of Feburary just so you can all see what the stats has been on that project.

Here’s the January reads I knocked out from my personal collection:

I am pretty pleased with this pile, even if it mostly came from the ARC shelf. Point is that I need to read what I own and I think that counts just fine. 🙂 Favourites from this stack were a toss up between The Closest I’ve Come by Fred Aceves and A List of Cages by Robin Roe, both which just emotionally affected me in great ways. I highly recommend those two for sure!

Here’s what I read from the library (no photo since the majority of these guys were already taken back).

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

#Weratedogs: The Most Hilarious and Adorable Pups You’ve Ever Seen by Matt Nelson

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo

Burning In This Midnight Dream by Louise Bernice Halfe

Miles Morales by Jason Reynolds

Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life, and How We Can Win the Fight Against Online Hate by Zoe Quinn

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

I am not going to focus too much about the books above, but needless to say, all of the ones I read above were fantastic and totally worth your time.

Then lastly, books I borrowed.

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean

I borrowed this one from a girlfriend of mine years ago and I FINALLY read it. I put it on my monthly goals list to complete just so the motivation was where. I liked it, though it is a very dense fantasy classic. Not sure if it’s one I’d ever read again, but I am happy I have knocked it out.

I am hoping February is as much a productive reading month as January was. I only acquired three books in the month, which I think is amazing given how my old book buying habits were. Two were books sent me (one was a gift from a friend, the other from a publisher) and I bought the one Jason Reynolds book my library didn’t own. I am hoping to keep up with everything I am sent this year, and again, I think it’s totally doable, but I will need to just keep at it.

I did it! I finished the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge for 2017! I was worried that I was too down to the wire and that I wouldn’t complete my last two challenges given the size and density of the two tomes I had selected. Let’s share my last two reads and my thoughts!

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

Completes Challenge #4: Read a book set in Central or South America.

Thoughts: This was a very challenging book to get through. I don’t think it was a bad book, but definitely one that is slow paced. I think what I was having a hard time with was that I really didn’t have a sense of who the characters were and what I did know about them felt very one-dimensional. I will sing Marquez’s praises in that his writing is quite lovely, it’s just a shame that the story he was telling didn’t really shine in any way. The best parts of this book were learning more about the scenery and the smaller details, but the pining, romantic parts of this novel just didn’t feel romantic to me at all.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Completes Challenge #19: Read a book in which a character of colour goes on a spiritual journey.

Thoughts: I was gifted this book a few years back and I remember the sheer size of it was on the intimidating side. Years later, I decided it was finally time to read this one. This is a beautiful book that looks at so many different themes: life, death, youth, adulthood, growing up, being childish, etc. I could go on with how jam packed this novel is with intriguing sentiments on all these topics. I adored the Nao sections, as I loved seeing her grow up and try to cope with the differences between America and Japan.

There were a few scenes were I really found myself weeping for her, empathizing with her and just wanting to be able to lend a helping hand. Ruth’s sections were a little more cut and dry given she is uncovering Nao’s life. I enjoyed her sections as well though I did find at times they dragged a bit. I will say the audiobook read by Ozeki herself was pretty fantastic give the amount of personality she infused into her characters. An excellent read that I know I’ll still be thinking about years to come.

I am definitely going to try my best and complete the 2018 challenge. I’ve given myself a lot of challenges really book-wise given I want to try to read more of my own stuff. This is the hardship of working at a library where shiny new things catch your eye and you go “ohhh shiny.”

I hope everyone enjoyed these posts. I hope if you were participating in the challenge that you completed your goals and even if you didn’t, you read this year and that is amazing! Check back with me at the end of January when we begin this process again!

As we are winding down the year, I thought I’d share five reads this year that stuck with me since completion. I read a lot of books this year (with less than a month to go!). I read over 400+ books (including comics) and I thought I’d narrow it to five simply because if I shared all my favourite, this post would go on forever and no one would read it. All these books released in 2017, and I will be doing a post of favourites I read that didn’t come out this year soon!

Shall we begin?

My Brother’s Husband by Gengoron Tagame

This beautiful manga looks at one man’s relationship with his brother’s husband. Yaichi is a single parent raising his daughter, Kana, when a Canadian man named Mike shows up at their doorstep informing them that he is the husband of Yaichi’s deceased twin brother. This manga stuck with me all year since I read it — it looks at blended families, cultural differences, issues of homosexuality in Japan versus Canada. It’s just an amazingly well-woven story that made me snob, laugh and smile all in one go. I highly, highly recommend this manga to those looking for something meaty but thoughtful.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

The premise of this novel-in-verse is based on an elevator ride that Will is taking and contemplating. Going down the elevator, Will is trying to figure out why his brother was murdered and given the “rules” of their family, one of them is exact revenge. This novel shows Will’s thought spirals as he tries to determine who his brother’s killer is, and can he commit murder. Gorgeously written, Jason Reynolds work became a favourite of mine throughout the year, but this is the book that has stuck with me so far. I still have Boy in the Black Suit and his Miles Morales novel checked out from the library to read.

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

It is no secret on this blog that I am an intense fan of Jennifer Mathieu’s books. I have yet to be disappointed, and Moxie was the first of her books to come out with any sort of hype behind it. This book was worth the hype. It’s a feminist manifesto that looks at issues of sexual harassment, lady friendship, and taking matters into your own hands for the purpose of protest. Viv is a fantastic heroine who is someone many of us can relate to with ease, and how she grows in this story is easily one of the book’s best parts. Moxie is a kick ass novel through and through.

A Conjuring of Light by V.E Schwab

This conclusion left me a hot mess after completion. There is something about this world, these characters, and the way in which all the magic and politics flow in the story that keeps you guessing. Kell and Lila go through so much in this story, and it just felt like a roller-coaster of my feelings plummeting down the deepest slop, then feeling slightly relieved, only to find the hidden drop on the ride that makes you scream the loudest. I am so excited there will be more books set in this world, but A Conjuring of Light reminds a very satisfying and emotionally charged conclusion to an amazing fantasy series.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I recognize that this is THE novel of 2017, but I think that title is well earned. The Hate U Give is a book I found myself recommending to patrons at the library frequently, regardless of whether they were readers of young adult fiction or not. Offering amazing insight into the Black Lives Matter movement, Starr and her family are memorable, wonderful, and people who are flawed but fighters. This book reminded me of when I was growing up, something I mentioned to Thomas when I met her back in the summer. While I will never understand what it is like to be a young black person, I have so much respect and an even greater desire to understand. This book was emotional, painful, and truthful. A hairbrush is not a gun.

These are some of my favourite 2017 releases that I LOVED this year and that stuck with me throughout. What are some of your favourites? I’d love to know in the comments below.

On Saturday I had the chance to spend the afternoon learning about Raincoast Books upcoming YA titles for Winter/Spring 2018. There were so many interesting titles, and easily something for everyone. From a retelling of Jane Eyre in space to dark fairy tales to swoon-worthy romance. I thought I’d share the three titles from the event that I am most excited about!

The Hazel Woodby Melissa Albert (January 30th 2018 by Flatiron Books)

This book sounds like something I would love to pieces. It’s a darker fantasy story that takes place in the contemporary world, and it’s about a cult-classic novel, death, and it just seems like it’s going to be a fantastic book to check out this Fall (even though it comes out in Winter!). It just looks like it’s going to be quite the adventure. Plus, Molly loved it and I trust what my co-blogger thinks when it comes to books.

Playing Atari with Saddam Husseinby Jennifer Roy (February 6th 2018 by HMH Books for Young Readers)

This book had me at it’s title. There’s something intriguing about a book that has both the words Atari and Saddam Hussein in it. This middle grade read takes place in 1991 and follows an eleven year old boy who loves video games. Over forty-three days we learn about how the main character, Ali’s family survives bombings as Saddam Hussein goes to war with the United States. I feel like this is going to be a wonderful, smart, challenging read and I can’t wait to check it out.

This graphic novel offers mini-comics for many badass ladies throughout history. I feel like I am a huge fan of books that teach me about women and women’s accomplishments, as I loved Badass Ladies Through History and Wonder Women. I just want more books like this and since it’s a graphic novel, I feel like I’m going to be all over it.

During the event we also learned about Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke (releasing January 9th 2018 by Clarion Books), who was discussing her writing process, her beginnings as a writer and how he got her publishing deal. It was such a fantastic talk to listen to, and it has me excited to read the book when it releases. Then there were prizes, which is always fun. I ended up winning the “Hazel Wood” prize pack, which has me interviewing Melissa Albert, and I am stoked to have that opportunity. No pressure though, right? So excited!

There was also food, swag bags, and so much wonderful and thoughtful discussion. I also ended up with too many books added to my TBR, but you know what? I accept that I am going to die with a TBR pile and I love learning about new reads. Huge thank you again to Raincoast for allowing me the opportunity to hang out with them and learn about the new reads, and for the awesome prize which I cannot wait to share with you all!

With May winding to a close, I can safely say, YAY! And by that I mean, I read more books for my Book Riot Read Harder challenge than I did in the month of April. How wonderfully unexpected, am I right? Plus, I liked the majority of what I read for the challenges as well. Let’s see how May faired.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Completes Challenge #7:Read a book published between 1900 and 1950.

Note: This book was originally published in 1911.

Thoughts: So hilariously, I never read this book as a child. I remember owning an “easy-reader” version, but somewhere a long the line this was just a book I never bothered to pick up. Which is a real shame that I am doing it so late in life given how much I love A Little Princess. I found The Secret Garden to be a really enchanting book, and I found myself very invested in all of the characters and the mystery behind the garden itself. I oddly loved Mary, even when she was being a brat (and I am not always fond of the “bratty child”). It’s funny too because I often find classics fairly difficult to read, but this one I was compulsively turning pages because I felt so absorbed in the story. So glad I finally gave this one a go!

Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

Completes Challenge #22:Read a collection of stories by a woman.

Thoughts: Difficult Women is one of those short story collections that is incredibly raw from story to story. Many of what Gay’s heroines portray are women who are “difficult” in the sense that they are unconventional, not following specific female binaries, and they are intense. Some of the stories are very heartbreaking, tragic, others are hopeful. There’s an honesty in Gay’s writing that makes each story compulsively readable. If you like short story collections, this is a great read.

My favourite stories were: La Negra Blanca, Difficult Women, and I Am a Knife. Though seriously, every story is pretty captivating.

Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson

Completes Challenge #8:Read a travel memoir.

Thoughts: I adore Bill Bryson and he’s one of the few non-fiction writer’s I actually try to keep up with. I usually find his brand of humour coupled with being informative to be something that gels with me easily. However, Neither Here Nor There is so far my least favourite Bill Bryson book to date that I’ve read. I usually love his travel memoirs because I feel like he does this great job of making the reader feel like they are there with him, but this one, likely due to how old it is, lacked in that department for me. I found Bryson’s antics a little frustrating, and he does more complaining than he does sharing anecdotal information. This book did have some glimmering moments that I personally enjoyed, but overall I found this book to be lacking in the fun-informative department.